February 28, 2012
All fans at Friday's game will receive a specially mounted 2x2” square of the original court on which Wilt the Stilt scored the record 100 points against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962. (Photo courtesy Sixers)
This Friday’s Sixers game is a super special one. The team will honor Wilt Chamberlain at their home game against the Golden State, as March 2 marks the 50th anniversary of Chamberlain’s NBA-record, 100-point game.
The record books are even heavier with his accomplishments: he was the only NBA player to score 4,000 points in a season; he set NBA single-game records for most consecutive field goals (18) and most rebounds (55); and he averaged 50.4 points per game and48.5 minutes per game during the 1961-62 season.
To wit, the entire evening this Friday, March 2is dubbed Wilt Chamberlain Night, and there’s a lot in store:
• All fans in attendance will receive a specially mounted 2×2” square of the original court on which Wilt the Stilt (he was 7’1″!) scored the 100 points against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962. A majority of the court will be preserved for posterity and be used and displayed at the Wells Fargo Center and the Sixers practice facilities in Philly and Hershey. The team will also be donating some of the court to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
• The 76ers organization will honor the family of the late, great Chamberlain in a special halftime ceremony at Friday’s game.
• Some of his friends and former teammates from the 1961-62 Warriors will be in attendance, and highlight videos will be played throughout the evening.
Fun fact: Chamberlain scored the record-breaking 100 points as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks. The Warriors eventually moved to San Fran in 1962 and were later christened the Golden State Warriors in 1971. At the same time, the Syracuse Nationals moved to Pennsylvania and were renamed the Philadelphia 76ers. Chamberlain returned to the Sixers in 1965.
So this anniversary game includes both the Sixers and the Warriors, both of Wilt’s Philadelphia teams!
Tickets to Friday’s game still remain; click here.
The Sixers’ Wilt Chamberlain Night
When: Friday, March 2, 8 p.m.
Where: Wells Fargo Center, 3601 S. Broad Street
Cost: Tickets start at $10
More info: www.nba.com/sixers
February 24, 2012
Experience the city in a new way, whether you live here or are just visiting. (Photo courtesy City Running Tours)
Runners, joggers, occasional gym-goers: here’s something worth breaking out the fleece and the SmartWool for.
City Running Tours leads guided runs in notable neighborhoods throughout a handful of U.S. cities, including right here in Philadelphia.
The next tour of the month will be tomorrow, Saturday, February 25 at 11:30 a.m., and will guide runners on a 5.5 mile run through some of America’s most historic neighborhoods.
Runs include a bag check at the start of the run, a water bottle and, for some runs, a snack. Runners are also treated to a 15% discount on all regularly priced items at Philadelphia Runner on the day of their tour.
Other tours routes include the Italian Market, the River to River trail, and, the most popular, Fairmount Park and the Art Museum.
They plan to offer a new route in March and add a few runs on weekday mornings plus the usual weekend routes. They’ll also bring back the Beer and Irish History tour (beer included!) next month.
A list of all scheduled runs, updated regularly, and registration is available online.
City Running Tours
Where: Runs start at Philadelphia Runner, 1601 Sansom Street
When: Various dates and times
Cost: $25-$30 per person for group runs, $60 per person base for personalized runs (discounts for groups of 4 or more)
More info: www.cityrunningtours.com
February 23, 2012
Just when we thought XFINITY Live! couldn't get any better, Mitchell & Ness comes along and throws its (authentic vintage) hat in the ring. (Photo courtesy of Mitchell & Ness)
XFINITY Live Philadelphia, the new dining and entertainment destination currently under construction on the former site of the Spectrum, is adding a 700-square-foot Mitchell & Ness retail store, inside the Philly MarketPlace.
Philadelphia-based Mitchell & Ness Nostalgia Co. has developed a major following creating and selling authentic, vintage-inspired sports apparel for more than 100 years.
The Mitchell & Ness store inside XFINITY Live, which will feature authentic and replica sports jerseys from legendary and classic sports heroes, will be constructed using reconditioned relics of the Spectrum, including the actual hardwood from the basketball court and the hockey dasher boards. So cool!
Said Mitchell & Ness President Sean McKinney, “The Spectrum was home to some of the most remarkable moments in Philadelphia sports history…. Mitchell & Ness will help be a reminder of the site’s history for future generations.”
Meanwhile, a quick recap of what the Xfinity Live development promises: the Xfinity On Demand Theater, an outdoor 24-foot LED video wall; the NBC Sports Arena, featuring an indoor 32-foot Sony LED screen and the NBC Sports Field, a 300-foot turf field, plus restaurants, bars, shops and more. It’ll be opening earlier than planned, on March 30, with an exclusive preview for Bruce Springsteen ticketholders on March 28 and 29.
We can’t wait.
XFINITY Live!
Grand Opening March 30, 2012 – Exclusive Preview on March 28 & 29
11th Street & Pattison Avenue
xfinitylive.com
February 22, 2012
One of the early sound bites coming from the first few days of the Phillies Spring Training is this gem from one Roy Halladay: “The greatest thing that’s ever happened to me was coming here,” Halladay said. “People have been great to me, they really have,” he continued. “It’s been unbelievable. [...] It really has been an unbelievable experience, and I’d tell any player that. The fans are phenomenal. There’s nowhere like it in baseball right now. It’s been an incredible run, something that hopefully continues.” We think you’re pretty great too, Doc! Go Phils! [Inquirer]
February 22, 2012
A White-out at the Liacouras Center for the Owls earlier this month. (Photo by Mitchell Leff / courtesy Temple University Athletics)
March Madness is right around the corner and the Temple men’s basketball team is coming in hot.
Temple, in the midst of a 10-game winning streak and sitting alone in first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference, has cracked the country’s Top 25 for the first time this season. (It marks the third straight season the Owls have been ranked.)
The Owls (21-5, 10-2 A10) are ranked #22 in both the Associated Press and the ESPN/USA Today polls.
Meanwhile, the Owls play two very important Big 5/A10 games on the road this week, taking on La Salle tonight, Wednesday at 7 p.m. and then Saint Joseph’s for a nationally-televised game against the Hawks on Saturday, February 25 at 7 p.m., before their final home game of the year next Wednesday, February 29 against UMass.
May be time for another white-out.
Temple vs. La Salle
When: Wednesday, February 22 at 7 p.m.
Where: Tom Gola Arena (at La Salle)
www.goexplorers.com
Temple vs. St. Joe’s
When: Saturday, February 25 at 7 p.m.
Where: Hagan Arena (at St. Joe’s)
www.sjuhawks.com
February 20, 2012
'Hang ten, Brah.' A behind-the-scenes photo of Shane Victorino as a business man on a company retreat on the set of Hawaii Five-0 on location in Hawaii. (Photo courtesy CBS TV)
So tonight’s the night. Shane Victorino’s guest appearance on Hawaii Five-0 airs tonight on CBS at 10 p.m.
Shane plays a businessman on a company retreat in Hawaii. You can see a teaser of his appearance in the clip below.
Well done, Shane.
Now that Pitchers and Catchers have officially reported to spring training, it can’t be long before we see you back on the ball field too.
Hawaii Five-0 On CBS [Official Site]
February 19, 2012
It’s here. Today marks the first official day of Spring Training for the Phillies as Pitchers and Catchers report to the Phillies’ Spring Training facilities in Clearwater, Florida for today’s workout.
Meaning the start of the 2012 Phillies season can’t be that far behind. (Individual tickets to which are now officially on sale. More than three million tickets have been sold to date, so lock in your seats today.)
Let the countdown begin. Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park is April 9, against the Florida Miami Marlins. It’s time to get pumped, people.
GO PHILLIES!
Philadelphia Phillies [Visit Philly]
February 14, 2012
A few weeks ago, we told you that Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino was slated to guest star on an upcoming episode of Hawaii Five-O. Well, the episode will air Monday, February 20 on CBS and unlike recent television appearances by fellow Phillies Ryan Howard and Chase Utley on It’s Always Sunny, or the Phanatic on 30 Rock, Shane won’t be appearing as himself, but will be showcasing his acting chops (alongside Olympic speed skater Apollo Ohno, who is also guest-starring in the episode) playing a business executive named Shaun on a company retreat. Emmy forthcoming? [Phillies.com]
February 13, 2012
Back in December, we told you about the Sixers’ search for a new mascot and their three new concepts: “Big Ben” Franklin, B. Franklin Dogg and Phil E. Moose. Initial reactions were mixed. The Sixers have since decided not to introduce a new mascot until later this season or potentially next season. But Sixers CEO Adam Aron did take to Twitter yesterday to ask fans about the idea of bringing back Big Shot as the Sixers mascot, saying “Been a surprising ground swell for Big Shot. Do you want Big Shot back… Yes or No?” What do you think? There’s already an online petition… [@SixersCEOAdam]
February 10, 2012
Curling, the Winter Olympic favorite also known as “chess on ice”, is coming to the Philadelphia region this weekend, when the 2012 USA Curling Nationals slide into Aston, Delaware County. With the sport continuing to grow in popularity since its debut in the 1998 Winter Olympics, the Curling Nationals will showcase a full week of the country’s best curlers competing for the title. Tickets are on-sale now, including an all-week pass providing access to each day’s events. [2012 USA Curling Nationals]
